January 21, 2007	Sunday	Muharram 01, 1428

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LAHORE, Jan 20: Railway passengers would have trolleys to move their luggage at railway stations on the pattern of airports to end complaints of overcharging by porters, Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said on Saturday.

“On time trains’ arrival and departure is my next target,” the minister said at a press conference at the PR headquarters.

He said air-conditioned Nishtar Express would be launched from March 23 that would run between Rawalpindi and Karachi.

He said railways institutes would train 3,000 apprentices enabling them to avail jobs to be generated after the launch of rail projects in Saudi Arabia, Syria and Libya. He added that 10,000 youths would be trained at the PR Walton Academy, Mughalpura Workshop, Risalpur Academy and Boltan Institute.

He said all coaches of the Cargo Express were given to 23 private parties for Rs63,000 per wagon per day. Another cargo train would run from Karachi to Faisalabad via Multan every day from the next month.

The railways had decided to privatise its five power stations lying closed since 1964, he said, adding that the department would need 100 megawatt electricity to run a bullet and other fast trains.

“At present, the monthly electricity bill of the railways is around Rs1 billion,” he said. The power stations set up in 1911 in Mughalpura, Quetta, Karachi, Lahore and Sukkur would be handed over to private operators, who will provide electricity to the railways.

He said talks were under way to lease railways land to the private sector to set up 100 CNG stations. Companies from the US and other developed countries would also participate in the tenders for the procurement of 75 locomotives.

APP adds from Lahore: The minister said that work would soon be started on the Dinga-Sohawa project under which 55 turns on the section would be removed to reduce travelling time between Lahore and Rawalpindi.